Vertical adjustable truck



Jan. 9, 1951 B. J. PAULSON 2,537,907

VERTICAL ADJUSTABLE TRUCK Filed Sept. 9, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

BERNARD J. PAULSON A TTURNE'Y.

Jan. 9, 1951 B. J. PAULSON 2,537,907

VERTICAL ADJUSTABLE TRUCK Filed Sept. 9, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. BER NARD J. PAULSO N Arrow/WV,

Patented Jan. 9, 1951 UN ['1' ED STATE S PATENT .O'FFFFGE VERT-ICAL ADJUS TABLE TRUCK Bernard l'Paulson, Waukesha, Wis. Application September 9, 1949, "Serial N 0.114353 V 3 Claims. 1

.My invention relates to trailers and more perticularly-to a two or four-wheel trailer that may be attached to the rear of atractor or automobile and 'employed to convey farm products or the like.

An object of my invention is toprovide a trailer that is constructed in a manner that permits its floor or bottom plate to befplacedon the ground while loading, and raised and locked to a'conventional height while it-is being conveyed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described that will permit the "above mentioned function without any manual manipulation, being operated entirely by the coefiicient of friction between the device and the ground while theitrailer is being moved, by means of a tractor'or: automobile.

A still further object ofmy invention is to provide a device of the character'described in which the operation may be reversed, that --is, the floor or bottom of the trailer maybe lowered bythe same traction means.

A still .further object of my inventionis to construct a device so that itwmay be applied to any conventional type :of wagon 1 that is pulled by horses or the like.

It is manifest 'to anyone familiar with the use of trailers or wagons that the loadingmf the products onto the body is alaborious operation. For

example, the-farmer has to lift heavy -bags or .grain or the like onto the wagon or trailer prior to transporting and must-again lift the bags from the body of the trailer when unloading. Thisop- -eration becomes even more laborious when livestock is 'being transported, when it becomes necessaryand even hazardous to lead livestock up a ramp or tail gate, and back the livestock down off the body of the conveyance. The device described and illustrated herein permits the floor to be lowered to the ground while loading and unloading and retaining itin-a lifted position during transportation.

Otherand further objects of mylinvention will become moreapparent as the description proceeds and when taken in conjunction with the drawings a in which one side of the device as shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a side view as shown in Figure l, but with the body in a raised'position and locked for transporting.

Similar characters of. reference indicate- "corhigh respondingyparts throughout the severalcviews,

and referring now to the-same. the :character I0 indicatesatrailerbodyhavingwa top rail I-Iwand cross members :at its bottom shown as 1 2. There area pair of frame members: l3 joined-at their forward end by means of -a cross member 14 which acts as a supportlbar for thevattachment ofthe draw bar shown as I5, whichlmay be-equipped with any conventional type .of hitch :arrangement, not shown, 'to q permit fits attachment toda tractor, truck or automobile, if .theidevice is'to be'employed as a trailer, or theldrawl bar. may. be

replaced with a conventional ".tongue...if Lthe mounted. to the depending end'of' the cantilever type spring shown as l9, whibh isattached by means of U-bolts 201to'theframe'member l3. The brackets I'Iare'equipped withslots 2| 'to'accommodate the movementof lthe wheel bearing 22 while it is beingguided.

The brackets 11 also-act as a" support for rightangularly disposed lifting arms 23. These arms 23 being pivotally supported by the bracket Mat 24. Thereare auxiliary guide arms 25 pivotally attached at 26 to the auxiliary brackets Z'I' attached to the forward end of .each of'the frame members [3 and extending downward therefrom.

Obviously, the pivoted attaching points 24 and 26 are disposed atithe same height and the length of the lower portionof the arm 23 from thepoint of attachment to itsvattachment to the cross member I2 at 28would be the same as the length of the auxiliary guide arm-25 from the pointof attachment 26 to its point of attachmentZB to the cross member I 2. The upper. part of the lifting arm 23 is provided with a link member '29 attached at 30 to the arm 23 and the other end of the link member 29 is attached at-3| to the upper end of a radially formed traction lever 32 equipped with a traction shoe 33vwhich extends outward therefrom and is of a width sufllcientto accommodate the tire of the wheel [8 whenthe wheel l8 rests therein at a time when the body I0 of the wheel is ina lowered position. When the vehicle is pulled forward byameans oj-a tram 3 tor or the like attached to the draw bar l5, it will cause the traction shoe 33 to rotate clockwise and pull the link member 29 forward, pivoting the lifting arm 23 at 24, causing the lower end of the lifting arm 23 attached at 28 to the cross member [2 to be brought upward, thereby raising the body 10 to a point where the retaining hook 35 which is pivotally mounted to the support 35 which is attached to the frame member [3 to engage the notch 36 in the traction member 32 to hold the body H) in a raised position. As the lever 32 is revolved the raised portion 31 terminating into a hook member 38 wil contact the roller 39 on the lever 33, thereby moving the shoe 33 away from the outer periphery of the tire on the wheel is as shown at 40 in Figure 3.

When the body it is to be lowered for unloading the cattle or product, it is merely necessary to pull the lever 4i causing the hook 34 to disengage the notch 36 in the arm 32, and as the device is moved backward by the tractor, the shoe 33 will engage the ground or surface of the pavement, thereby actuating the lever 23 and bringing the loaded body It downward, and it is only necessary to back the cattle off on the level ground or to drag the bag of grain or the like without the necessity of lifting any weight.

It is obvious that the traction shoe 33 may be equipped with cleats to increase the traction or coefficient of friction with the road or ground.

In the chosen embodiments of my invention, there are features not heretofore displayed in the prior art, and although I have shown a particular construction, and a specific arrangement of the component parts constituting the device, I am fully cognizant of the fact that many changes in their form and configuration may be made that will in no way affect their operativeness or efficiency, and I reserve the right to make such changes as I may deem necessary or convenient Without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters iatent of the United States is:

1. A. device of thecharaoter described ing in combination, a body, a of frame members, said frame members extending parallel to the sid -l. of said bcdy, a cross member at the front of said ame members, a draw attached to said crass bar, said frame membe provided with downwardly extending wheel guide brackets, wheels. said. wheels provided with attached at one end to frame members, said axles journaled in the depending end of said spi as, lifting arms, said lifting arms of angular contour pivotally mounted at the center to said downwardly extending wheel guide brackets, auxiliary brackets attached to said frame members at a point forwarr, from said wheel g ides, auxiliary guide arms pivotally mounted at one of their ends to said auxiliary brackets cross members at the bottcrn of said body, sa members attached to the depending lower ends of said auxiliary guide and said lifting arms, arcuated traction levers, said traction levers provided with link members, the link members being to said. traction levers at the upper end, tracticn shoes attached to said traction levers at their lower end, said traction shoes radially disposed, projecting means on the upper face of said traction levers, retaining means on said frame members for engagement with said projecting means, rollers on said liftin arms, an angularly disposed face on the inside of said traction levers, said rollers on said lifting arms arranged for engagement with the angular face on said traction levers when said traction levers are radially brought forward by means of said links, and means for releasing said retaining means when the traction levers are to be brought back to its normal position.

2. A device of the character described comprising a body portion, a pair of frame members extending parallel to the sides of said body portion, a cross member, said cross member supporting the forward ends of said frame members, a draw bar attached to said cross member, a wheel guide bracket attached to and extending downward from each of said frame members, a pair of springs attached at one of their ends to said frame members, a pair of wheels, said wheels mounted on axles, said axles journaled within the depending end of said spring members, lifting arms of right angle contour, said lifting arms pivotally attached at a central point to each of said wheel guide brackets, a pair of auxiliary brackets, a pair of auxiliary brackets attached to said frame members at a point forward from said wheel guide brackets, auxiliary guide arms pivoted at one end to said auxiliary brackets, the lower ends of said lifting and auxiliary guide arms attached to the lower portion of said body structure, an arcuated traction lever, link members attached to said traction lever at its upper end and to the upper end of said lifting arm, said traction lever equipped with a radially disposed traction shoe at its lower end, retaining means mounted on said frame member for engagement with said traction lever, and means for releasing said retaining means from said traction lever when the device is to be brought back to its normal position after said traction lever has been revolved.

3. A trailer device of the character described comprising in combination a trailer body, a pair of frame members extending longitudinally parallel to the sides of said trailer body, a cross member attached to the front of said frame member, said cross member retaining said frame members in relation to one another at their front end, a draw bar attached to said cross member, a pair of wheel guides extending downward from said frame members, a pair of springs attached at one of their ends to said cross members, a pair of wheels, axles supporting said wheels, said axles journaled within the depending end of said spring members, a pair of lifting arms, said lifting arms of right angle contour pivoted and mounted at their center to said wheel guide brackets, said wheel guide brackets provided with slots therein for guiding the axles of said wheels, a pair of auxiliary brackets attached to said frame members at a point forward from said wheel guide brackets, a pair of auxiliary guide arms, said guide arms pivotally attached at their upper ends to said auxiliary brackets, and at their lower ends to the bottom of said body portion, the lowerend of said lifting arms attached to the body portion of said trailer, arcuated traction levers, said traction levers disposed for surrounding the peripheral surface of said wheels, link members, said link members attached at one end to said traction levers and at the other end to the upper end of said lifting arms, traction shoes attached to the lower end of said traction levers, said traction shoes radially disposed and of a contour to accept the peripheral surface of said wheels, a projecting means on the 2,537,907 5 6 upper face of said traction levers, retaining REFERENCES CITED meafns said frame m engaging the The following references are of record in the progectmg means of said traction levers, rollers file of this patent: on the lifting levers, said rollers arranged for engagement with the upper face of said traction 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS levers, and means attached to said frame mem- Number Name Date bers for releasing the engaging means on said 2,442,071 Bunten May 25, 1948 traction levers when the device is to be brought to 2,466,102 I-Ieldenbrand Apr. 5, 1949 its normal position. 2,479,421 Sempe Aug. 16, 1949 BERNARD J. PAULSON. 1o 

